Canty ‘Clean Slate’ Bill Expanding Career and Housing Opportunities Signed into Law

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Completing years of work from reformers, law enforcement and business leaders, the transformational “clean slate” criminal justice reforms that state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, helped pass last fall were signed into law today.

“So many people are denied opportunities for careers, education and full lives because of small, non-violent mistakes years in their past. If a person can’t get a job, they can’t contribute to their local economy. If a person can’t get more education, they can’t gain the skills they need to be a productive member of the workforce,” Canty said. “The Clean Slate Act will ease some of these burdens for people with non-violent, minor criminal records and help them earn greater stability.”

Last fall Canty, in a continuing commitment to build a stronger economic future for her community, worked to pass the Clean Slate Act (House Bill 1836), which was signed into law today. It will automatically seal many minor criminal records, ensuring these records are accessible only to law enforcement, prosecutors and sensitive employers-such as daycares and schools. Arrests resulting in an acquittal or dismissal will be sealed immediately, while misdemeanor convictions will be sealed after two years. The most serious felonies, domestic abuse convictions and other violent crimes will not be eligible for sealing.

The measure is the product of years of negotiation with business groups, law enforcement, housing advocates and criminal justice reformers.

“I’m grateful to the many dedicated advocates who worked for years to make this step forward,” Canty said. “There is more work to do, but every ‘clean slate’ measure brings us less recidivism that undermines the work of the criminal justice system and unlocks greater economic potential.”